Famille Hugel
Riesling SCHOELHAMMER 2015
As far back as family memories go, the Schoelhammer, at the heart of the historic Schoenenbourg vineyard which overlooks Riquewihr, has always been amongst our most favoured single vineyards. From 2007 we decided that the Riesling from this exceptional site, traditionally vinified apart, also merited to be bottled separately. Schoelhammer seeks to reveal the unique character of a dry, mineral Riesling from a marl-rich terroir, deep and suave in style, and which takes time to express itself fully.
Specifications
Alcohol content : 12.69 % vol.
Residual Sugar : 69.4 g/l
Tartaric acidity : 7.94 g/l
pH : 3.03
Age of vines : 34 years old
Yield : 49 hL/ha
Presentation
Quick View
This dry Riesling was grown in the Famille Hugel's famous Schoelhammer plot. With great ageing potential, it comes from the finest vineyard slope of Riquewihr, historically known as Schoenenberg.
Its triassic clay-marl terroir is farmed organically so as to best reveal the complexity of its rich sub-soil.
After extended bottle ageing in the family's historic cellars in Riquewihr, today this fine dry Riesling has achieved its first stage of development.
Its triassic clay-marl terroir is farmed organically so as to best reveal the complexity of its rich sub-soil.
After extended bottle ageing in the family's historic cellars in Riquewihr, today this fine dry Riesling has achieved its first stage of development.
The vintage
2015 will remain an exceptional vintage in France, with a scorching and dry summer reminiscent of the greatest solar vintages. The vine budded in mid-April under a sunny spring, slightly later than usual. Early flowering in June signaled a promising vintage. The drought was extreme, with only 30 mm of rainfall between May and July—a record!
In Riquewihr, the clay soils mitigated the effects of the water shortage, and a providential rainfall in mid-August saved the harvest. We began harvesting on September 10, three days after the rest of Alsace. The first grapes confirmed the exceptional quality of the year.
Only one rainy day slightly disrupted the harvest. A beautiful botrytis allowed us to harvest most of our Rieslings from Schoenenbourg as Late Harvest wines. Engelkritt, true to its reputation, produced two Sélections de Grains Nobles, reaching up to 23° potential alcohol for the most concentrated one!
In Riquewihr, the clay soils mitigated the effects of the water shortage, and a providential rainfall in mid-August saved the harvest. We began harvesting on September 10, three days after the rest of Alsace. The first grapes confirmed the exceptional quality of the year.
Only one rainy day slightly disrupted the harvest. A beautiful botrytis allowed us to harvest most of our Rieslings from Schoenenbourg as Late Harvest wines. Engelkritt, true to its reputation, produced two Sélections de Grains Nobles, reaching up to 23° potential alcohol for the most concentrated one!
In the vineyard
Produced in the finest plot of the Hugel estate in the heart of the grand cru Schoenenbourg. Schoelhammer covers a mere 6 300 square metres (67 800 square feet), 30 rows of vines dedicated to Riesling and organically farmed. Schoelhammer's specific vines grow on Triassic Keuper marl soil from the secondary era (marine sediments, c.200 million years) with a 45% clay content, planted at an altitude of 300 metres, facing due south, on a slope that averages 25 degrees.
Winemaking
The grapes are taken in small tubs to the presse, which is filled by gravity, without any pumping or other mechanical intervention.
After pressing, the must is decanted for a few hours, then fermented in temperature-controlled vats (at 18°C). The wine is racked just once, before natural clarification during the course of the winter. The following spring, the wine is lightly filtered just before bottling, and the bottles are then aged extensively in our cellars until released for sale.
After pressing, the must is decanted for a few hours, then fermented in temperature-controlled vats (at 18°C). The wine is racked just once, before natural clarification during the course of the winter. The following spring, the wine is lightly filtered just before bottling, and the bottles are then aged extensively in our cellars until released for sale.
Presentation
Download here the brochure about Schoelhammer
Pronounced "shell hammer" : the coat of arms combines the fossils found in the Schoelhammer soil together with the hammer, a tool used every day by Emile Hugel (1869-1950), master-cooper and winegrower like his father.
Pronounced "shell hammer" : the coat of arms combines the fossils found in the Schoelhammer soil together with the hammer, a tool used every day by Emile Hugel (1869-1950), master-cooper and winegrower like his father.
Varietal
Riesling : 100%
Specifications
Alcohol content : : 12.69 % vol.
Residual Sugar : : 69.4 g/l
Tartaric acidity : : 7.94 g/l
pH : : 3.03
Age of vines : : 34 years old
Yield : : 49 hL/ha
Advice
Video
Tasting
Right from the pour, the youthfulness of the wine catches the eye. Barely evolved, the pale gold hue shows no signs of aging. The nose takes a few minutes to open up, but leaves no doubt; the expression is there, and the marl terroirs of Schœnenbourg assert themselves with power: musk and sweet almond mingle with candied citrus, stony, and buttery notes.
On the palate, despite a bold and dynamic attack, the wine tastes ample and powerful. Soils rich in clay bring a dense, coating, saline palate feel. This is indeed a Schoenenbourg with its unique signature of quinine, this tight phenolic structure that gives it an endless length
On the palate, despite a bold and dynamic attack, the wine tastes ample and powerful. Soils rich in clay bring a dense, coating, saline palate feel. This is indeed a Schoenenbourg with its unique signature of quinine, this tight phenolic structure that gives it an endless length
